Tina Leonard - Triplets' Rodeo Man (9 page)

Jack wanted to stay in Fort Wylie and wait for Cricket to return—he was hanging out in his truck parked at her house/tea shop—but the call he got from Pete changed his mind.

“Laura's gone into labor,” Pete said.

“I'll be right there.”

It didn't feel right leaving Cricket, even though she'd been annoyed with him when she'd driven off. Petty annoyances passed, didn't they? Hopefully she wasn't the kind of girl who stayed mad. The only way he knew to work the kink out of an angry female was by making love to her, whispering soft apologies. Cricket didn't strike him as the kind of woman who'd settle for that.

But he could hope.

He scribbled a note and left it on her door so she'd know Laura and Gabe's baby was on the way.

By the time he got to Union Junction and the hospital, the baby had been born. “Go on in and see her,” Dane told him with a grin. “Gabe's got him a cute little girl.”

“A girl?” A girl to go with Penny and Perrin.

“Perrin'll be caught between two girls,” Gabe said.

“That could be a good thing or a bad thing,” Jack replied.

Gabe laughed. “Only time will tell.”

Jack had grabbed some flowers and a pink giraffe in the hospital's gift shop. He walked into Laura's room holding the flowers aloft like an awkward prize. “How's the new mother?” he asked, handing the flowers to Laura as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and Gabe a slap on the back.

“Fine.” Laura looked tired but happy. “This is Gabriella Michele. Gabriella, meet your uncle Jack.”

Jack glanced at the baby with some fear, not daring to touch her. She seemed so tiny and peaceful snuggling in the crook of her mother's arm. “She's beautiful.”

Laura smiled. “Gabe and I are hoping you'll be her godfather.”

Jack glanced up, stunned. “Godfather?” His only recollection of a godfather was from the movies. What was expected of a real-life godfather?

Gabe laughed. “Yes. Laura and I decided it was time to tie you into the family.”

Jack glanced again at the small, pink-wrapped bundle. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Godfather Jack,” Laura said, teasing. “You'll be the best. And it will give you practice.”

He looked up at his brother and his wife. “I'll need lots of it.”

Gabe laughed. “You'll get up to speed on babies very quickly.”

Jack shook his head. “Life's moving very quickly on me, almost conspiracy-like.”

“Have you told Pop about the triplets?” Gabe asked.

“I haven't even seen him. I came right here.”

Laura smiled. “I think he wants to talk to you.”

Jack felt guilty he hadn't hung around to see his father come out of surgery. “How's he doing?”

“Really, really well,” Laura said. “But he's been asking for you. Bellowing for you, actually.”

“Guess I'll step around to see him.” Jack didn't feel particularly excited at the thought, but he also knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

“Are you going to do it?” Gabe asked curiously.

Jack knew exactly what his brother was asking. “What, move to the ranch?”

Gabe shrugged. “Just a warning, Pop's sure he's been warned by spirits that you have no intention of moving to the ranch because Mom's there.”

Well, that was certainly odd. But Gabe could have no idea how correct Pop's “spirits” were. The old man was eerily prescient. “Hey, let me just celebrate being Godfather Jack for now, okay?”

“And Papa Jack,” Laura said.

“That, too. Later on I'll worry about being Good Son Jack.”

“And Millionaire Jack,” Gabe reminded him. “The only way to the grail is through Mom this time.”

“Yeah, well, who needs money, anyway?” Jack asked, and Gabe and Laura laughed.

“A man who's having triplets,” Gabe called after him. “College educations and weddings are expensive.”

Jack headed down the hall. “Hey, Pop,” he said, entering his father's room.

Suzy and Dane were keeping Josiah company, but they got up and quietly exited when Jack walked in. “He's been asking for you,” Dane said as he walked by.

Pop's eyes opened. “Jack?”

“Yeah, Pop. It's me. How are you feeling?”

“Probably the best I can feel after Dr. Moneybags has poked around inside me.” He glanced up. “Where the hell did you go?”

Jack sat down next to his father. “I had to go see Cricket.”

“Why isn't she here?” Josiah demanded.

“She had some things to do back in Fort Wylie.” Jack patted his father's arm. “She's going to be busy now that's she's having triplets.”

“Triplets?” Josiah's eyebrows raised. “Whoa,” he said, “you knocked that ball out of the park, son!”

Jack shook his head. “When do you get out of here?”

“I don't know.” Pop glanced around him weakly. “But when I do, I'm marrying Sara.”

“Good for you.” Jack was genuinely glad for his father.

“Let's make it a double,” Pop suggested.

“My lady won't have me. Yet.” Jack leaned back in the chair. “She's got a lot on her mind.”

“Hmm.” Josiah grinned. “
Triplets
. They'll sure keep
you busy. Better get Cricket convinced to marry you before they're born, because she'll think of a hundred excuses afterward not to do it. She's still got pregnancy weight and won't look good in a wedding gown, that's one excuse. Or she'll say that she can't leave the children to go on a honeymoon. Or if you wait just a few years, the kids can be in the wedding.” Pop looked at him. “Believe me, if the babies come before the ring, you're in for what is known as a prolonged engagement.”

Jack's throat went dry. Pop's words seemed like good advice. “It does sound like something Cricket would do,” he said slowly, realizing that if she was reluctant now, she wasn't going to become any more eager. “She's not the most conventional woman.”

Josiah chuckled. “You wouldn't have wanted a conventional woman.”

“I suppose not,” Jack said, uncertain. He would have at least liked the woman he chose to be more excited about being his wife. “Hey, congratulations, Pop, on finding a good woman.”

“I found two good women,” Josiah said, “and I don't intend to make the same mistakes with the second one that I made with the first. Fortunately for me, the first one has forgiven me. Which reminds me, when are you going to do some forgiving of your own?”

Jack winced. “I've forgiven you, Pop.”

“I don't need your forgiveness!” Josiah stated. “I meant your mother!”

Jack shrugged. “I'm not sure what to forgive.”

“Well, you better figure it out,” Pop said, “because as far as I can tell, you've got three babies on the way and a woman who doesn't want to marry you—two strikes against you—and you don't seem to have moved your things to the ranch.” Josiah sniffed. “If I were a betting man—and I am—I'd bet your million dollars is going to stay safely in my wallet.”

Jack wondered how much more a man had to be willing to give of himself besides a kidney to get a little peace. But with Josiah Morgan, Jack knew peace was a long way off.

 

J
ACK HAD
a weighty decision to make. He was a godfather now, and that gave him a new look into the life of a man responsible for a child. He wanted to be a good godfather and a good parent, and the one thing that was staring him in the face was his lifestyle and lack of a secure income.

As his brothers were quick to point out, babies were expensive.

He knew Cricket well enough to know that she was going to try to raise three children and run the tea shop to pay her bills. Maybe she'd meant to purchase the tea shop and have someone else run it as an investment, but he doubted that. Cricket was an independent woman; she'd want to be involved in everything. She said she'd quit her job because of her unwed-and-pregnant status, but the ladies in the waiting room of Dr. Suzanne's office hadn't seemed cool to her at all. In fact, they'd seemed quite warm and friendly. He wondered if
Cricket had made a decision she'd regret by resigning from her deacon's position, then decided it was none of his business for the moment.

What he had to decide was how he intended to convince her that he had the ability to take care of her.

The easiest way to financial stability was to do as Pop asked, blast him, which was exactly what had hung up his brothers. However, they hadn't wanted to get married—not at first—and he did, pronto.

It was a weird thought. He was begging to be a family man, and he couldn't get his lady to have him.

His cell phone rang, and to his surprise he saw it was Cricket. His heartbeat sped up. “Hello?”

“Jack, it's Cricket.”

“How are you?”

“I'm fine. Listen,” she said, “I apologize for ditching you this morning.”

“I know you've got a lot on your mind. I shouldn't have teased you about your car.” He mentally slapped himself, thinking it was a subject best left alone, like the parachuting. She'd come to her senses about jumping out of high-flying vehicles when the babies were born. Three small infants would settle her down.

“Jack,” Cricket said, “I just want you to know that I think it's best if we don't see each other for a while.”

His heart crashed. “Why?”

“I…I'm just not comfortable,” she explained. “I need to figure some things out on my own. When you're around, I catch myself falling into a pattern of convenience.”

He frowned. “What the hell is a pattern of convenience?”

“Something I don't want. When you're around, you take over. And I seem to let you.”

“Yeah, well,” Jack said, not sure that he agreed that she let him do anything, “I think you should just marry me and be an independent wife.”

“Jack, I can't marry you. It would be a mistake. The fundamental differences in our lifestyles would eventually catch up with us.”

She meant rodeo. She envisioned herself as a rodeo widow. He shook his head. If that's what this all came down to, he supposed he'd have to concede the point. “I've got to make a living.”

“I understand.”

He didn't think she did, especially when he couldn't say, “Hey, let's compromise, no rodeo for me, no parachuting for you,” because he knew very well she'd blast his ears for trying to tie her down. It stunk being the one who was trying to do the tying down. “Cricket,” he said, “I'm trying really hard to change.”

“I don't want you to change,” Cricket said. “I think things that are wild should be left to the wild.”

“Well, I'm getting tamer all the time, Deacon. I'm a godfather now.”

“To Laura's baby? Did she have her baby?”

“Yes. A healthy baby girl named Gabriella Michele. And I'm pretty darn excited about being a god-pop.”

“That's great, Jack.”

She didn't sound like she much cared. “Hey, Pop was asking about you.”

“I hope he's doing well,” she said quickly. “Will you please tell him I won't be able to do those drapes like I promised? I'm sure your mother would probably prefer to select her own, anyway.”

Curtains were just the cover for what she was really trying to say. He sensed her slipping away from him. He knew the sound of someone escaping—he'd done it often enough to know. “Cricket—”

“I have to go, Jack,” she said, and he heard the inevitable
thanks for the memories
in her voice.

“Cricket, dammit,” he began, but the phone went dead. “That conversation went nowhere,” he muttered. Didn't she care that she was shredding his heart? He wanted to be with her—he was darn sure they belonged together!

She
didn't think so. And she was holding all the aces.

He had no choice but to try to convince that stubborn woman he was serious about being a family man.

His phone buzzed, alerting him that he had a text.

Just heard that you're expecting some ankle-biters, he read. Congratulations, you ol' dog.

He snorted at the words from a good rodeo buddy.

Another buzz.

Three children for the man who always said he'd never be a father? Way to ride!

Jack sighed. It was true—he'd certainly won the prize for fastest ride to fatherhood.

The texts kept rolling in. His spirits sank a bit as he
received blessings and well wishes from his rodeo family. His worlds were colliding, shifting.

Which was exactly what he knew was bugging Cricket—she didn't want to change him. She didn't want to be responsible for him having to change.